An Arcane Scrapbook Collection

DWC /// Day 22 - A blind date

"You do realise that the whole point of a blind date is to not know who you're going with, right...?" Eden asked Jace as she approached, a smug smirk settled on her face.

"Hmmm- you're right-" she chuckled. "Greetings, pretty boy! I'm Jace! And who might you be?"

All she got as a reply was a scoff before Eden started for the restaurant, walking at a slow pace so Jace had time to catch up.

"I'm kinda going in here blind, what's the hype for this place?" Eden asked, glancing up at Jace as they entered the brightly lit lobby.

"Oh... we're definitely both going into it blind" she laughed, walking over to the receptionist to get their table. She jotted some things down on the screen by the desk before turning to Eden just as the hostess walked towards the entry door, holding it open for them.

"Off we go~" she held her hand out for him and he hesitantly took it, watching her carefully, already knowing something was off. The hostess stepped in front of them and Jace placed her free hand on the woman's shoulder, following her into the darkness before them.

Eden's grip on Jace's hand immediately tightened and he quickly got closer to her, grasping her arm as tight as he could. "Jace? Jace! What-" The chattering quickly overwhelmed his senses as he tried desperately to look around only to find darkness greeting him with every turn.

There was nothing to see, nothing but darkness.

"Jace-? Jace! I don't like this-" a wave of panic overtook him and his throat closed up, forcing him to gasp for every breath he took. He felt around for Jace once they came to a stop, and soon after felt someone grip both his arms. He gasped, turning in the direction of the person.

"It's me... I'm here"

Those four words were enough to fade all the other overlapping voices into a muffled silence. His breaths gradually calmed back to normal and he eased slightly, enough for Jace to pull him into a gentle hug, her arms wrapping around him tightly, protectively. It felt safe.

"We can leave if you want... but just know, I'm here, okay?" She pressed a kiss onto the side of his head before pulling away, slipping her hands back onto his arms to remind him she was still there.

She waited for his decision, rubbing her thumbs over his skin gently until he spoke again. "Okay... okay, I'm doing this" There was a tremble in his voice, a hint of doubt, but Jace took it for what it was, guiding his hand towards the waitress who she quickly found after waving an arm around for a bit.

The waitress helped them onto their seats. Where? They didn't know. All they heard was the waitress tell them she'd be right back and the sound of her footsteps as she left.

Eden's breathing started increasing the longer he sat in the dark. The voices returned, starting to overwhelm his senses again. He turned from one side to the other, trying to find the source of all the sounds, but it was pointless.

"Eden..." Jace's voice interrupted the panic, forcing his attention back on her. "...take my hand"

He turned towards the sound of Jace's voice, hesitantly extending his hand forward until feeling hers. A sigh of relief escaped him and their fingers interlocked. Eden maintained a strong grip on her hand as she set their hands on the side of the table, more comfortable for both.

Jace squeezed his hand gently, whispering softly. "It's okay babe... you're okay" 

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For today's prompt I had to bring the characters into a blind restaurant/Dark dining. Which is a restaurant where you eat completely in the dark!